A Tale of Utmost Horror! Well, Kinda
by ChildInMe
Summary: Percy and Annabeth watch a movie together. That night, Percy has a nightmare that comes true! But even he doesn't know it.


**Title: A Tale of Utmost Horror (Well, Kinda)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO, or Thalia wouldn't have joined the Hunters, or Bianca wouldn't be dead.**

**Summary: Percy watches a scary movie with Annabeth. Then he has a nightmare. Soon, soon, soon it comes true!!! Everything in Percy's POV. (Although originally, it wasn't.)**

Annabeth and I were busy watching a movie. We were both in the Poseidon Cabin (the only place where we could get privacy), and had gotten an old black and white movie. One about Dracula. Needless to say, the sound effects were horrible, the graphics were ugly, and the script was corny.

It had been Annabeth's idea. She was convinced seeing an old movie of Dracula would "deepen her understanding of Vlad the Impaler." (An insane prince who impaled and tortured hundreds, and who Dracula was based on, if you guys don't know.) She was now really regretting it.

It was only halfway to the movie when I realized something: This was a date! With Annabeth!

Well, kinda.

Annabeth certainly didn't think so. She was too busy pouting, and has just taken out one of her history textbooks to read.

This was not a good (well, kinda) date. It was a date, but Annabeth hadn't realized it, so it wasn't a date, was it?

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I finally woke up. Sweaty and breathing hard, too.

As I got up to the bathroom, I tried to recount whatever happened in his horrible, frightening nightmare. (Cabin Three has its own private bathroom. So does Cabin One and Cabin Two, but the Poseidon Cabin has the best bathroom for obvious reasons. Lucky me.) I knew that my dreams were often prophetic or important…or something.

I turned on the silver tap molded into the shape of the fish on the shell shaped sink, and splashed some icy, cold water on my face. That felt good. It woke me up, and I needed to think.

The dream was about…Annabeth.

Oh no! Was something bad going to happen to her! What was it about?

Come on! Remember! Percy Jackson, you gotta remember!

Okay, since I forgot, I would just trail Annabeth 24/7. I just hoped that she didn't notice.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The next day, Thalia was busy gardening with some Demeter kids. (Don't ask me why, she just did.) Grover was sick from eating too many tin cans and enchiladas. Now nobody would notice me protecting Annabeth. (It is NOT spying and/or stalking.)

It watched her eat her food, drink her pure mountain spring water, brush her shiny blond hair, laugh with those luscious lips, play chess with that cute, fierce expression in her face, watch her aristocratic hands move whenever…

Wait. I do NOT like Annabeth. I mean I don't _like_ like her. Well, kinda. Ugh, this is very confusing!

So the bottom line is that I looked after her.

There was one small problem, though. How was I supposed to protect her when she was in the Athena Cabin? Sure, she had a cabin full of deadly, intelligent, calculating, demigods with her, but they're just not me.

I decided to do the smart thing…camp outside the Athena Cabin secretly.

That was pretty smart, right?

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I'd been watching the Athena Cabin like a hawk from the Poseidon Cabin, but it's hard to make sure of anything. It was so dark that I had to squint to see faint outlines of the cabins.

So I finally plucked up the courage to sneak over to the Athena Cabin. I hovered uncertainly by the door when something really weird happened.

An acorn hit me.

There are perfectly logical explanations for that. The acorn probably fell from the Demeter Cabin's many trees or something. But that's not the point here. Moving on. **(AN: The next chapter of Thalia's Summer will tell you about the acorn!)**

So I yelled, mostly in surprise. It was kinda soft, but loud enough to wake up the Athena Cabin.

The door flew open and I saw a bunch of bleary eyed Athena kids. Two of them, Al and Minerva, grabbed me by the arms and dragged me inside. They dumped me onto the floor of the cabin. I felt a little dizzy so I closed my eyes for a second. When I opened them, an angry Annabeth stood over me.

"Um, Maine is really nice this time of year." I said lamely. It was the first thing that popped into my head, and I was surrounded by very angry Athena kids.

Annabeth Danger Signs. Grover had taught me and we had trained ourselves to know all of them. A certain steeliness in her eyes, her hands clenching slightly, and if she tilted her head and made her lip into a hard, thin line, they were all doomed.

Steeliness of the eye. Clenching hands. Head tilt. Lips turning into a hard, thin line. Oh no.

That night, I discovered a new Annabeth Danger Sign. A small, sadistic, smile.

Now, Annabeth told me lots of times that she doesn't believe in violence. (She even taught me a new word: pacifist.) But she made an exception to that rule. One measly little exception (besides monsters and Kronos baddies). I normally would've had no problem about it.

Except that I was the victim.

You had to admire her. For someone with no martial arts training, one well aimed punch was enough to knock me out.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Being knocked out isn't a good experience. But even worse is waking up. The world rushes back to you, and you have a killer headache. Not pleasant.

"Ugh, where am I?" I mumbled.

_Click._

Three Athena kids had turned on the light. Or rather, the single lightbulb that dangled over my head. Besides the intimidating lightbulb, I was tied with a very painful rope to a hard chair that hurt my butt.

"Hello, Percy."

"Hi, Michael." I gulped.

It was Michael, Algernon (more commonly known as "Al"), and Sadie. Michael and Sadie were five years older than me, Al was four years older. Michael was rather athletic, and extremely good at throwing spears and javelins. Sadie was an expert in both karate and tae kwan do. Al was just Al…an expert in human psychological torture, too.

Not to mention they were all really smart.

All three of them stood in a circle around me. There was a moment of silence before Sadie spoke.

"Do you know where you are?" she asked.

"No! Please, let me go! I won't tell anyone!" I whimpered. Okay, I whimpered. But having three deadly Athena kids with murderous intent is not fun.

"That's what they all say." Al chuckled and then grinned evilly with a threatening glint in his eye. (Something that would've made old Grandaddy Kronos proud, too.) "We don't appreciate you hitting on our sweet, defenseless little sister."

Sweet. Defenseless. Yeah right.

"Or stalking her." Michael added.

"If we catch you guys making out or anything, you'll be in trouble. Plus, our mother doesn't want her grandchildren to be Poseidon's, too." Al said.

Grandchildren! I didn't think that far into the future…

"You're at the secret basement below the Athena Cabin." Michael whispered in a malicious voice. And…HOLY GUACOMOLE! WAS THAT A KNIFE IN HIS HAND?

Michael grinned and twirled his knife. It was sharp, shiny, and new. Something to be proud of. Her probably borrowed it (after major bribing, or he was friendly with one of them) from an Ares kid.

Sadie rolled her eyes at her brothers. Then she turned to me and said, "Nobody except those who are Athena's descendants or Athena herself know about this. However, there are…exceptions to the rule. Those exceptions have been…unfortunate." Sadie said the last word mockingly, drawing out the syllables.

Then she got out _another_ knife to emphasize her point. Another first class knife for heaven's sake! Since when did the Athena Cabin chummy with the Ares kids?

Al smiled (evilly) again. "Percy, when you get out of the Athena Cabin, you will be a shell of what you once where."

"NO! Please, no!" I screamed, bloody images coming up in my head.

"The utmost horror! We'll make you watch a movie!" Sadie cackled.

That didn't seem so bad. I stared at them for a few seconds. A movie. Utmost horror?

"A movie that even we find a little boring at times!" Sadie continued on evilly.

I gasped and struggled with the ropes, but couldn't get out. In fact, my wrists started to burn because I rubbed them against the ropes. I stared in horror as Al started to roll the film. The title was, "The Creation of the Tellitubbies."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" I screamed. "HAVE MERCY!! PLEASE!!!!!!"

To no avail.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I felt nothing. Just numb. I tried not to think about the horror I had been put up to. Images of Tinky Winky popped up now and then.

Tinkwy Winky! Dipsy! Poe!

I shook my head, trying to clear my head of those morbid thoughts. I did not want to hear that song again. Ever.

The other Athena kids turned and stared at me when I crept out of the basement with Michael, Sadie, and Al. The three of them nodded. Mission successful. The other Athena kids then smiled.

I stared blankly ahead.

Annabeth and Minerva came over to me. They checked my pulse and then looked into my eyes.

"He hasn't lost his sanity. He's just in shock." Minerva nodded in approval.

"Got it. Get him out." Michael commanded. Minerva and Al grabbed my arms (again!) and threw me out of the cabin. Just before they locked the door, Minerva told me, "This never happened. Remember that. There is no basement under the Athena Cabin. Remember that. Repeat that."

"This never happened. There is no basement underneath the Athena Cabin." I repeated in a monotone voice.

Minerva nodded. She motioned at Al, who shut the door in my face and locked it. Twice.

It took me a few seconds to get the sense to limp back to my cabin.

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!**

**In celebration of the fourth PJO book (Battle of the Labyrinth, coming out in May), I will be doing a request fic for the lucky fourth person who sends me a PM with the following:**

**Basic plot summary. Must be short enough to fit in. (Example: Percy and Grover must fulfill a prophecy that involves two other mysterious demigods.)(Example 2: Annabeth goes on a quest by herself to save Percy.)**

**Ending. Just write a few sentences. (Example: Percy and Grover find the demigods and fight with the Kronos kids. They later go to Camp Half Blood.) My examples suck.**

**Pairings if any. No homosexuality. (Percabeth, Percianca, Thaluke, etc. Okay, I made up weird abbreviations, but who cares! Moving on.)**

**Number of chapters. (Limit: five)**

**Title (Cuz I'm too lazy to think of one for your summary)**

**Other: Must not be rated 'M' as I see it, only up to three deaths (it would be weird if everyone died), can be a crossover to my other fics**

**ANOTHER IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT**

**For the lucky eleventh person, I will do a oneshot.**


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